


School's Labour's Lost

by CinderMaddie



Series: School's Labour's Lost [1]
Category: Nothing Much to Do
Genre: F/M, Friendship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-22
Updated: 2015-02-27
Packaged: 2018-03-14 14:46:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3414617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CinderMaddie/pseuds/CinderMaddie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Team Love Gods and Team Blessed are given an group assignment which sounds easy enough, apart from the fact they don't get to pick their partners. Relationships must both thrive and suffer as each pair puts together a project that encapsulates them as individuals. But, if everyone's friends, why aren't things going very smoothly?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. All The Pairings

“For the next week, you will be working on a group assignment,” Mr. Spear announced during homeroom. “I want you to create something, on any medium, that summarises you as an individual.”

“How can we do that as part of a group, Sir?” Olivia asked, snapping her gum. 

“Team work is everything, Miss Count,” Mr. Spear replied, “and completely necessary if you hope to get a good grade on this assignment.” 

The whole class gave a collective sigh. 

“Seeing as you’re all so enthusiastic about this project, I don’t think you have it in you to choose suitable partners. I’ve already decided on the groups, which are as follows…”

Beatrice crossed her fingers under the table, her eyes darting towards Benedick, who was rolling his pencil along his desk. At that exact moment, he looked up, locking eyes with his girlfriend. Ben hoped they’d be paired together. 

Pedro, sitting next to Ben, caught Bea’s look. He knew how she felt. He could only see the back of Balthazar’s head but was trying his hardest to use the power of telekinesis to let Balthy know he wanted them to be partners. 

“Ursula will be paired with Stanley,” Mr. Spear read from the piece of paper in his hands. Ursula, already sat next to Balthazar, smiled at him, while he tried not to look too disappointed. Mr. Spear was definitely not a great guy for not letting them pick their own partners.

“Margaret will be paired with Olivia.” The two queens of the classroom stared across the room, sizing each other up. Beatrice didn’t think it was a good idea to pair such large personalities together. 

Mr. Spear reeled a few more names off the sheet before announcing that, “Benedick will be paired with Hero.” Bea tried not to let her face fall too much while Ben outwardly sighed. Hero, on the other hand, just twisted her friendship bracelets around her wrist, already thinking of ideas for the project. She didn't have to worry; she could work well with anyone. 

More pairs were assigned before Beatrice was paired with…Pedro. It could have been worse, she thought, grinning at her best friend, who poked his tongue out in response. They’d worked together plenty of times, although if this assignment was to be a repeat of the history project they handed in the previous day, she was slightly apprehensive. 

“And finally, Claudio will be paired with John,” Mr. Spear said, screwing up the paper and throwing it in the bin. It landed in the basket first try. “Oh, look it!” The teacher pointed joyously towards his goal, while Claudio and John shot each other looks that could have been laced with poison. This would not go down well. 

* 

“Nope, I’m sorry Bea, I just can’t talk to you right now, I have to work on my project with Hero.”

Bea laughed as Ben dramatically hid his face with his hands. “But there’s pizza at Pedro’s!” She smiled. “I came to get you without prompting and everything!” 

Ben grinned, taking his girlfriend’s hands. “If we get our projects done now, we can have the rest of the week to hang out and forget about it,” he said, surprisingly logical. 

“Urgh.” Bea pulled her chin into her neck. “I hate it when you’re right. If you and Hero change your minds about coming to Pedro’s, just call me.” She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before retreating out of the kitchen. 

Across the room, Hero snapped a picture of some ingredients she’d laid out on the counter, ready to be uploaded to Instagram, along with instructions on how to bake.  
“Ready, Ben?” She asked, holding out an apron. 

“What are we doing?” Ben took the flower-patterned apron from Hero and tied it round his waist. She'd added a little button to the strap which read "Sous-chef."

“We’re going to bake a cake,” she explained. “I was thinking about it all day, and I think it’s what best describes both of us.”

“Food?” Ben walked over to inspect the ingredients. They’d already been weighed out and put into individual chrome dishes, without a hint of flour or sugar spilled on the countertops. That girl was a perfectionist. 

“It’s more specific than that.” Hero pointed towards the fresh fruit ingredients. “I love to bake, which represents me, and then the ingredients are you.” 

Ben laughed, picking up the dish of sliced mango. “Very funny, Hero,” he said, wondering if he'd ever live that down. 

“Don’t forget all the eggs! There’s five to symbolize all your serial bird killings,” she said, trying to hold back a laugh. “You can tell the stories when we hand the cake out in class if you like.”

“Everyone loves a good dead bird story,” Ben said, popping a slice of mango, minus the skin, into his mouth. 

“My thoughts exactly. Now if you could just shift a little to the left, you’re out of the camera’s shot.”

“We’re filming a video as well?”

She giggled, “why not kill two birds with one stone?”

Ben snorted. Hero didn’t have it in her to swat a fly. “I thought you and Bea’s channel had died.”

“Well, all the rumors have died down now about…you know. I haven’t talked to Bea about it yet, but I just know she won’t object, especially if we bribe her with a slice of cake.” 

Ben nodded, ready to press record on the camera. When cake was involved, what's the worst that could happen?


	2. The Project and The Pizza

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bea and Pedro struggle to think of an idea for their project, while John and Claudio have some pretty strong ideas on what they want to accomplish: fighting for Hero.

“What do you want to do?” Bea asked, stretching back against Pedro’s desk.

Pedro just shrugged. “I have no ideas.”

“No ideas? The Pedro Donaldson doesn’t have any inspiration at all?” Bea chuckled.

“A project that has to equally represent you and me…” Pedro started to pace around the room, almost bumping into the half-open door. “What do we both like?”

“Pizza,” Bea said automatically. 

“An excellent observation,” Pedro said. “But, pizza won’t be here for another twenty minutes. We should at least try to come up with something.”

Bea got up and grabbed a piece of notepaper from Pedro’s desk, ready to scribe any ideas. “OK, OK, ideas.” 

The two friends paced in silence whilst they desperately waited for inspiration to strike. After a full seven minutes passed, with no master plan, Bea dramatically sighed. “There’s got to be something. Our history project was amazing!” 

Pedro nodded. The two did work well together: they knew everything about each other! So why was it so hard to think of something that represented them? 

Bea tapped the pen against the desk, biting her lip. Pedro started humming, a song Balthazar had just uploaded to the Watch Projects. He had no doubt Balthazar and Ursula would be just fine with their project. Balth would just sing and Ursula would produce: job done. 

“I’ve got something!” Pedro shouted, startling Bea into dropping her pen.

“What? What is it?”

“Oh…I don’t actually have anything, I thought perhaps if you thought I did, you’d come up with something marvelous.”

Bea laughed. “What a full proof plan,” she said. 

Before Pedro could try and throw some ideas around, John pocked his head around the door. “Pedro, pizza’s ready,” he said, his voice wavering slightly. 

“Thanks, John, we’ll be right down.” Pedro smiled at his brother. Although Claudio wasn’t necessarily the best person for John to be partnered with, this project would give him a chance for more social interaction. Pedro only hoped it helped John to feel more accepted as the denounced ruler of Team Evil.

“Pedro,” Bea said, shaking her head, “I hate to break it to you, but this project doesn’t look like it’s going to be some fishing metaphor.” She got up from the desk, smelling the pizza from downstairs. “More likely, it’s going to crash and burn.”

*

“We are not doing this project together,” Claudio said gruffly, still holding on to his school bag. 

“I thought we were past this,” John began but Claudio cut him off.

“No, we're not. Do you think I even want to look at you after what you did to Hero?”

“What I did to Hero?” John said, unable to stay calm. “I’m sorry, but wasn’t it you that accused her off being a slut on her sixteenth birthday?”

Claudio gritted his teeth. “I only believed what you told Pedro.” 

“You make it sound like you can’t think for yourself,” John snapped. “Oh wait, you can’t.”

“That’s it!” Claudio shouted. “There is no way this project is working. I’d rather get a D than have to spend any longer in your presence.”

“May I remind you that Hero’s forgiven me? We’ve spoken…a lot.” John had never meant for Hero to get hurt the way she did. He had spent many sleepless nights wondering if Hero, kind Hero, could ever imagine forgiving him for what he did, or whether his heart was already too stained by the black poison of being forgotten. 

“I know you have.” Claudio wanted to clench his fists every time John came near his girlfriend. He couldn’t help but feel protective, maybe even more so than Leo, because he knew what could happen if things went terribly wrong. “Stay away from her.”

John scoffed. “I don’t have to take orders from you.”

The two boys were standing a foot away from each other, like cowboys waiting to draw their weapons. Claudio took one step forward. John anticipated to be pushed, but his opponent only growled.

“It’s better for her if you’re not around.”

“Better for her or for you?” John countered. “This isn’t the 16th century, you know, she can decided who she hangs out with without getting permission.”

“Shut up, man,” Claudio snapped. “I’m switching partners.” 

“Fine by me,” John called to Claudio’s retreating back. 

 

“Oooh, pizza!” Bea’s eyes widened as she picked a slice from the box. 

Pedro and Bea high-fived once they took their first bites. Their project wasn’t destined for failure. If anyone could come up with a brilliant idea, with sprinkles on top, then it would be the two of them. A great team if ever there was one. 

They sat down next to John, who was nursing his pizza like wild rats were going to steal it right out of his hands. 

“Hey, bro, I thought Claudio was here?” Pedro said, looking round for his friend. 

“Oh yeah,” John said with a small voice. “He had to leave.”

“Did he say why?” Bea asked, already finished with her pizza crust and diving for a second helping.

“Something with Hero,” John said. “She needed…something.”

“Cryptic,” Bea said with her mouth full.

“How’s your project going?” Pedro asked.

“Uh, still no ideas.”

“Us too,” Pedro nodded. “But pizza is the best muse.”

“Right,” John nodded too. 

“Don’t worry about it, John,” Bea said. For a minute, he thought Bea knew about his and Claudio’s fight, but when she carried on, it was clear she and Pedro had been too wrapped up in their own project to notice the showdown happening in the adjacent room. “We’ll all think of something.”

“I think we need to pond-er a little more, Bea,” Pedro smiled.

“Then we’re sure to reel in a good one,” she laughed. “But at the moment, it looks like we've all got nothing much to do."


End file.
